On board oil reservoir for lubricating piston paint pump

Abstract

Apparatus and method for on-board lubrication of a paint pumping piston including a reservoir for lubricant and a lubricant dispensing mechanism for delivering a predetermined repeatable amount of lubricant upon manual actuation of the lubricant dispensing mechanism. In one embodiment, a section of tubing acts as the reservoir, and in another embodiment, the reservoir is formed by a transparent or translucent chamber located adjacent an aperture in a pump housing to enable visual inspection of the level of lubricant in the reservoir. A lubricant delivery piston is actuated by an extension thereof projecting through an aperture in the housing, and a lubricant discharge nozzle is located adjacent the paint pumping piston proximate a bushing supporting the paint pumping piston. A breather valve prevents a vacuum in the reservoir as the lubricant is dispensed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] In the past, piston paint pumps of the type having a paint pumping piston required periodic lubrication of the paint pumping piston by a user who was instructed (by the owner's manual) to insert a spout of an oil can into an opening in the pump housing and align the spout with the top of the piston where it projected from a nut or bushing supporting the paint pumping piston and retaining the top seal of the paint pumping piston assembly. Such a lubrication procedure was found to be inconvenient and therefore less likely to be performed as often as appropriate. Because the oil was stored in a can separate from the pump, it was also inconvenient for a user to locate the oil can when lubrication was intended to be performed. [0002] The present invention overcomes deficiencies of the prior art by providing an on board lubrication system on the pump. The system includes an oil reservoir and a prepositioned permanently installed spout located to deliver ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0003] The invention includes an on board apparatus having a lubrication reservoir and lubricant dispensing mechanism operable to deliver a predetermined volume of oil to the piston-nut interface in a piston paint pump. A pushbutton extends through an aperture in the pump housing to enable the user to move the predetermined volume of oil from the reservoir to the piston-bushing interface. A filler tube and cap is provided in the pump housing to enable a user to initially fill and periodically refill the oil reservoir. The cap preferably has a breather valve to prevent a vacuum in the reservoir, which would interfere with the operation of the lubrication system.

Problems solved by technology

Such a lubrication procedure was found to be inconvenient and therefore less likely to be performed as often as appropriate.

Because the oil was stored in a can separate from the pump, it was also inconvenient for a user to locate the oil can when lubrication was intended to be performed.

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